Reliance brings their brand of high energy 1990s SoCal skatepunk back in Vigilance, channeling sounds from all the bands you’d expect and want to hear in this collection of fast, melodic, driving songs.
Just listening to Reliance, one would guess, Southern California for sure and you’d be wrong…the Arizona-based band traces its origin back to 2014 and Sheep’s Gate Ministries and their skateshop started by Matthew Clark. My first exposure to the band was their 2020 release Running, which was mixed by the Descendent’s Bill Stevenson at the Blasting Room, which does give some instant credibility. The band’s Christian beliefs came through clearly in the lyrics but not in a cheesy or preachy way and musically, the band hit all the right sounds for a SoCal band, with an edge like Pennywise and Bad Religion. Now six years later, Reliance is releasing their second full length, Vigilance.
The opening rap intro works perfectly to open up the album. As someone who dislikes pointless intros, this is not one of those. The rap ends with a power chord that jumps right into a fast interlude that introduces the melodic punk to follow. “Edge” is next with a heavier than expected riff and some great guitar work at the beginning. Fast drumming and nasally, sneering vocals that remind me of Nofx in tone, phrasing and delivery was a bit unexpected as I don’t remember that from the first album. Lyrically the song pulls in straightedge and living a life free of intoxication and goes into a more hardcore-like breakdown dance section at one part which again unexpected but welcome.
“Now or Never” leans more toward a Bad Religion/Pennywise sound musically and vocally, which was present in the first album as well. The drums are fast and furious and the gang vocals work really well as one would hope to hear in SoCal/skatepunk. “Desperate for Change” and “Enough” continue in the same vein and this is a good thing.
“Turn the Radio On” is the one misstep to my ears on the album as it sounds like a B-side for Blink-182 or some other too radio-friendly pop punk band. Some may not be as annoyed as me by the song, so there’s that. Thankfully, “Take Cover” reverts back to a darker, heavier song and back to Pennywise/Bad Religion, but also adds a metalcore-like breakdown which seems really out of place. That being said, the contrast between the verses and brighter chorus work really well and the main driving riff that leads into the verses is great. “Not Again” goes back to the NOFX tone and sound. “Time to Shine” closes out the album with a great track about resilience and one can only imagine the chaos of crashing bodies and singalongs when this is played live. Strategic starts and stops in the song and some good layered guitar parts combined with great drums and riffs really show the band taking advantage of their “Time to Shine”.
Throughout the review, I cited various bands and this is just to point out what I consider obvious as to what Reliance sounds like, but they have their own blend of all these influences. In my years, there really haven’t been many punk bands with a Chrisitian message that have the driving, heavier sound of Reliance. I said something similar six years ago when I reviewed Running and now, that still fits. Outside of what I consider a couple small missteps, Vigilance is a great example of SoCal skatepunk worth a listen and leaving me hoping they continue making music and it would be great to see them set up a tour through the midwest.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Intro
- Edge
- Now or Never
- Desperate for Change
- Enough
- Turn the Radio On
- Take Cover
- Not Again (Roxy’s Song)
- Time to Shine
Release Date: March 27, 2026
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records
Band Members
Albert Padilla – vocals, guitar
Matthew Clark – drums
Robert Rodriguez – bass
Kyle Carroll – guitar
Video for “Take Cover”
Weblinks:
Bandcamp: https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vigilance
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reliancepunk